GOLDEN JETS ADD INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED COACH

The Toronto Golden Jets are extremely pleased to announce that 4-time Olympian David Hart has been hired to provide an innovative new program for the club effective with the new competitive season.

57 years after they first met in the water as rival age-group swimmers and 42 years after they competed as teammates at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, club founder and head coach, George Gross, Jr.,  and Hart will team up once again. Hart has signed an exclusive deal to bring his world-class coaching and mentoring experience to Gross’s Toronto Jets Water Polo Club.

“I’m thrilled that George approached me when he heard I was relocating from Ottawa to the Golden Horseshoe area and offered me this great opportunity. We both looked at each other and said …it’s been too long, let’s do this.”

Gross and Hart had an instinctive understanding of each other in the water as illustrated by the 1976 Olympic Games clip seen via the following link:

The exclusive GTA deal brings Hart’s Performance Water Polo program to the club.  Hart will run a concentrated, small group (6-10 members) high performance program aimed at helping players reach international standards of play.  The players selected by Hart to be included in the program will still attend all regular team practices but will also have the opportunity to learn more personally-directed skills separately under Hart’s tutelage.

Evaluations of those members interested in participating will be done during the first week of practices.

Hart is the only Canadian Water Polo personality to have coached with all 6 Canadian National Team programs (Senior Men and Women, Junior Men and Women, Youth Men and Women) and was the first ever Canadian to  coach a foreign National Team (Head Coach Brazil Women 2002-2003).

In addition to his four Olympic appearances, he participated in five World Championships as well as six Pan American Games.  As a coach he won 8 International Medals.  As a player, he appeared in 160 international matches including the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games.

After his playing retirement in 1976, Hart became the leader of the Canadian Water Polo Association’s national office.  He quickly authored the first Level 1 and Level 2 NCCP Water Polo Coaching Manuals, developed the materials for the Level 3 NCCP water polo course and provided the technical leadership for the creation of a National Officials Certification program.  In the early 1980s, he spearheaded the establishment of the first national men’s league (CWPL).

In 1993, he accepted the position of Master Coach for Water Polo Canada and developed the first “Legacy Coaching Program”.  Three of his graduates became head coaches for National teams

Among his other ambitious programs, his innovative “Dream Team 1999” was totally self- funded, offering an extensive 4 year international preparation and personal self-development program for 24 of the top 15 and 16 year old boys. Three of his program’s graduates represented Canada in the 2008 Olympics.

In 2001, David created one of the most innovative and important domestic water polo programs – the ‘I Love Water Polo’ program aimed at introducing young people to the sport.

In 2012, Hart received the Geoff Gowan Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Coaching Association of Canada for lifetime contribution to Coaching Development in Canada.

Welcome to the Golden Jets, David!

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